> out in favor of saving tens of thousands of dollars and hire an H-1B.
What evidence do you have that they saved tens of thousands of dollars with an H1B? They spent over 5000$ in legal fees just trying to get the H1B.
Also, it's very hard for me to look better pay as a native could do. Even the ones making 10k more than i do already left...
Without wanting to sound like an asshole here, you are within the salary range for your position- maybe the difference between you and your coworkers is performance based? Why not just get a job elsewhere?
Also the other company that wanted to hire me didn't want to go thru the h1b thing.
But mostly because I'm still a sucker believing in non written promises.
Americans face this issue too.
> Also the other company that wanted to hire me didn't want to go thru the h1b thing.
Life is filled with disappointments; such is the nature of life.
> But mostly because I'm still a sucker believing in non written promises.
I am not clear how you are getting shafted because you are an immigrant then. An American who is naive would also get shafted.
If you are not in a major tech hub, your pay is going to be low, and the ability for your employer to abuse you is going to be high given the small market of jobs. This applies to both natives and immigrants alike.
You are also unlikely to be in a market where companies are willing to pull out the stops to find qualified talent. In the Bay Area, Seattle, Austin, NYC, etc, I have found the majority of companies willing to consider visa requirements when hiring. The competition for candidates is fierce enough that this is a non-issue.
As an international in this country also, just get out of that job. If they've violated a non-written promise before, they will do so again. As you mentioned yourself, the natives at your company are treated poorly too - but they have left for greener pastures where you have not. There is no shortage of high-paying tech jobs in this country, even when you limit the search to companies that will sponsor a visa.
You don't need to move to a new city every week. You just need to move once, to a market that has more choice, therefore fewer incentives for abuse.
Disclosure: I spent five months in an H1B. At one point, I was three days before my green card interview. My company kept dithering on whether I would be laid off or not. A layoff would have met all the work done for my green card would have gotten fucked because I would become out of status immediately. Now I didn't get laid off and got the green card. Yet, that system continues to exist because companies don't want to change that; immigrants are too scared to protest. An immigrant from India/China goes through 5+ years of this. That is the key advantage from an employer's perspective. Not a few thousand dollars. But the ability to get these people working all the time under threat of deportation. Also, it doesn't matter how good you are. Getting a good new job takes time.
When I changed jobs I had no difficulty negotiating for a competitive salary - I think in part due to an H1B transfer being much less intimidating (and cheaper) than an initial sponsorship. Maybe you should start talking to other employers?